Welcome to Reality
by Shara the Dreamer
Summary: While reminiscing about the past, Panchito Pistoles and Jose Carioca wished upon a star to be the Three Caballeros again. They get more than they bargained for when they are sent from their home, their world, to ours, and meet a girl named Jay Windsor, who also wished upon a star, asking for true friendship. The three of them will learn from each other about friendship and life.
1. Wishes and Arrivals

**((Author's Note: Hello. This is my first fanfiction. I do not own any of Disney's characters. This was inspired by Chaccko of DeviantArt's Three Caballero drawings.**

**Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy the story thus far to the fullest.))**

_Good day. I am Yen Sid. Before we begin this story, there are certain facts that one must be aware of. There are many worlds other than Earth filled with life, but they can only exist in different dimensions as a different Earth. One of these worlds is what you may call the "Cartoon World", born from the hearts and imaginations of people of your world. I am not surprised that you doubt my words and believe that I jest, but what I say is no less true. In fact, that reaction is to be expected. There are powerful barriers between these worlds that make travelling to these worlds far more difficult, for human and cartoon alike. But, that does not mean that passing these barriers is impossible. This task requires a powerful magic, such as a force that grants wishes, and strong wills, or hearts, of those involved. _

_However, once someone passes those barriers from one world to another, they will have no choice but to follow the Laws of Physics and Nature of the world they have entered. I am sure you have noticed that the Laws of Physics and Nature of the Cartoon World differ immensely from those of your world, so I will not go into too much detail about the matter. If one were to pass through the barriers between worlds and enter a world not their own, their physical form will in order to obey these laws, the amount of change varies from person to person. _

_I have given you the facts that needed to be known, but now there is one more thing I must give before we can begin: a warning. If someone were to stay in a world not their own for too long, then they risk unraveling the fabric of time, space, and reality, and all of the worlds will face utter destruction. _

_If you have any more questions that you wish to have answered on the matter, kindly leave the questions with your reviews. I will answer them before the beginning of the next chapter._

_Let us begin…_

Chapter One

*~*~*Jay's Nightmare*~*~*

_Jay looked up to her older sister with tears in her eyes as she apologized profusely, "I'm sorry, Robin! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-". She was cut off as her sister said angrily "AUGH! You ALWAYS ruin everything! I don't even know why you're my sister to begin with!" _

_Jay was about to speak up again when Robin held up her hand and said "No, don't even start! You know what?! We're NOT sisters, ANYMORE! Capische?!"_

_Robin faded into the darkness as Jay felt tears prick her eyes. She turned around to run, only to confront the classmates she met in elementary school, and knew throughout middle and high school. They laughed and jeered at Jay, while pointing fingers at her,_

_"You thought we'd be friends with you?"_

_"Ha! Get real! You're just the stupid new girl!"_

_"And a freak! And nobody wants to be friends with a freak like you!"_

_The chorus of children's voices escalated in volume and the words all blended into unrecognizable speech except for "Yeah!" and "Get lost, weirdo!" As she turned around and started running, she could actually feel the pebbles hit her as the kids threw them at her. _

_She kept running until the pebbles disappeared, and now there was another group of people she thought had accepted her as their friend, only for them to stab her in the back. The leader was a friend Jay made in middle school, the one she had been 'friends' with the longest. She smirked wickedly at Jay and said nonchalantly, "Hey Jay! Thanks for introducing us! Oh, and for the record, we're not friends anymore. See ya!"_

_Jay watched as the group talked amongst themselves, and they laughed at whatever secret Jay entrusted them with. Soon, they too, faded into darkness._

_The laughter echoed around her in the never ending and cold darkness. She clamped her hands over her ears and tears came pouring down, as she tried to shun the laughter. She even screamed in an attempt to drown out that laughter. _

*~*~*Earth, Jay's Apartment*~*~*

The morning sunlight seeped into the small bedroom through the window as Jay gasped and sat up quickly while the alarm clock blared. She groaned as she ran through her hands through her hair before hitting the alarm clock, in order to silence it. She mumbled to herself, "That nightmare again…"

Jay blinked her eyes multiple times, as she fumbled for her glasses, and placed them on her face. She groaned in slight irritation as she stood up from bed and walked up to the full body length mirror that stood in her room. She walked to the cursed oval thing and looked at herself. She had a bed head of sandy blonde hair, and she was wearing her pajamas that consisted of sweats and a simple tee shirt. She once again noticed the feature that she thought made her an official 'freak': her eyes. Her two eyes differed from each other by the color of the irises. Her left eye had a chocolate brown iris, while her right eye had a light blue iris that would remind anyone of the sky on a sunny day. Her black plastic rimmed glasses framed perfectly around her eyes, neither looking too big, nor too small, for her entire face.

She didn't dwell on her appearance for a very long time. She quickly got away from the mirror after greeting her reflection with a sarcastic voice and a clear disdain towards herself, "Morning, sunshine,". She quickly got ready for another normal day of college classes that she was sure would bore her to sleep, and an evening at her part-time job in a book store that hardly anyone goes to anymore. After she got her quick cold shower, she dressed in her usual attire of jeans, a simple white shirt, and a black sweatshirt, and tied her shoulder length hair into a ponytail. She headed out with her backpack filled with books and notebooks, and drove to college in her old run down car, for her very first semester out of high school. After she closed the door of to her bedroom, the mirror's surface shimmered and shined a little light for only a brief moment.

Her name is Jay Windsor, and she had no idea that her life was going to take a strange turn, because of two Caballeros from another world.

*~*~*The Cartoon World, Toontown*~*~*

A lone red rooster wearing a large sombrero, walked down the sidewalk forlornly past the people who seemed to ignore him for now. He was silent as he contemplated to himself. He was going to go back to Mexico, and he could easily just call for his magic serape, or call for Senor Martinez, or even taunt the bull Diablo into getting him back to Mexico quickly, but he didn't. Instead he opted for walking, in order to think, for his mind to process what he had just seen and experienced.

Why was he here in Toontown? It's simple. He came here yesterday to visit his friends and love here. He had stopped by Clara Cluck's place first, only to find that his love was unrequited.

His mind replayed the event from last night over and over again. Clara Cluck having a romantic dinner with Gus Goose, his own questions of what was happening and why it was happening, and Clara's response.

_"I'm sorry, Panchito, but I love Gus Goose with all of my heart,"_

_ "But what of the love we had?"_

_ "You never call or write. You're always busy with your duties…"_

_ "I can change that! I can-"_

_ "I also already know that you chase girls every chance you get. Especially when you're with those other Caballeros!"_

_"…"_

_"I'm sorry, Panchito. But it's over between us. Please leave,"_

_Panchito sighed "Very well, Senora Clara. Good-bye then,"_

Panchito kept on walking. He knew that in normal cases, he would've gotten angry and end up shooting someone. But he really couldn't find it in his heart to hurt anyone he cared for, despite all of the pain he felt. The more he thought, the more he ended up thinking that Clara was right. He was always busy in Mexico after all, protecting his home from brigands and other evil doers, and the only time he ever sent letters to Clara was so many years ago, he lost count of how many years passed since then exactly. So, his mind continued, he deserved this, and he should be glad that Clara Cluck is now happy and had found her special someone…even if that special someone wasn't Panchito himself.

He snapped out of his thoughts when a familiar voice called "Panchito? Panchito, is that you?" He turned to look at the source and saw that it was none other than Jose Carioca. All at once the pain seemed to disappear, and his glee came back as he smiled and replied to his friend and fellow Caballero, laughing happily, "Jose! Ah ha haa! Son of a gun! It's good to see you again!" Panchito and Jose hugged each other as Jose answered, "It's great to see you too, Panchito!" They backed away from each other and Jose asked, "I heard you went to visit Clara Cluck. How is she?"

Panchito didn't answer Jose for a few seconds, and after Jose asked hesitantly "Panchito?" he seemed to snap out of his stupor, shaking his head rapidly for a brief moment, and he suddenly suggested out of the blue, "Say, Jose! Why don't we go see the tourist attractions here? Come on, let's go!" Jose was puzzled by Panchito's sudden suggestion, but he went with him anyways. Something must've happened between him and Clara, but Jose didn't want to bring it up. So he kept his beak shut and went to enjoy the sights with Panchito.

*~*~*Hours Later*~*~*

After touring around Toontown, Jose and Panchito ended up going to the House of Mouse, not as performers, but simply as guests. They spent a total of 2 hours at the nightclub, and before they left, they headed backstage to visit Donald. However, it didn't go as well as Panchito and Jose had hoped. The experience was awkward for the two Caballeros.

"Ahola Donald!"

"Un Pato Donal'! It's great to see you again!"

"Hi guys,"

There was a thick silence between them, as Donald looked over future schedules. It was part of his job as assistant manager at the cartoon nightclub. Panchito and Jose looked at each other. They both noticed the slight dismissive tone in Donald's voice, along with the distracted tone that was much more apparent. When they asked questions, Donald merely answered briefly, usually with only one-word answers. Soon Panchito asked, "Say, Donald, amigo! We were wondering if you could hang with us sometime?"

Donald shook his head and said "Sorry, I can't Fellas. I'm quite busy these days," Donald didn't turn around to see Jose and Panchito look crestfallen. He apologized again and Panchito brought his smile back onto his face as he said to him "Ah! It's all right, Donald! We get it!" Donald sighed, and answered "Thanks," He then asked as he wrote down notes of what events conflicted with each other that Mickey may have overlooked, "Not to sound rude or anything, but could you guys go? I need to keep working," Jose answered "Ah, _sim_! _Sim_, of course! We're going right now. See you later Donal'!" Panchito nodded and said "Adios, amigo," as he followed Jose out of the House of Mouse.

Some years ago after their treasure hunting adventure in Mexico, again Panchito couldn't remember how long exactly, Donald had stopped contacting him and Jose. When they called him and asked if he wanted to come to Mexico and/or Brazil again, Donald declined. He had moved on with his life. They already knew that he was taking care of his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and they had heard from Donald that he had settled down with Daisy. Also, as time passed, Donald developed different interests and lost zeal for some of his old interests. So he and the other two Caballeros had nothing in common anymore. Donald had moved on with his life, and the Caballeros weren't a part of that life.

Panchito walked the streets of Toontown at night, with Jose by his side, until they were away from the town and the city lights. Jose asked Panchito as they reached the top of a grassy hill, "Panchito, my friend, you seem dour. Please, tell me what's wrong,"

Panchito looked to the green parrot in surprise. Of course, he shouldn't be surprised that Jose saw through his smiling face. He knew that Jose could be very perceptive when it comes to people faking emotions. Panchito sighed and answered Jose, as the parrot tapped ash off of his cigar, "Lo siento, Jose. But I'd rather not talk about it,"

Jose crossed his arms and gave Panchito a silent look that told him that Jose wasn't going to let this topic go easily, like he did this afternoon. Panchito continued, while sitting down, and looking up at the sky filled with bright stars and the full moon, "I guess I just miss the good old days, you know?" Jose could tell that wasn't the real reason, but it was the best he was going to get from his friend. Jose nodded and answered, moving to sit down next to the rooster, "_Sim_, I know. I miss that time as well,"

Panchito smiled and laughed as he reminisced "Those days were so much fun! The time when the three Caballeros were together! All of us chasing after girls,"

Jose added, starting a friendly banter of sorts, "Playing pranks on Donal',"

"Exploring the land and going on treasure hunts,"

"Watching you, and occasionally help you, bull fight,"

Then they finished together, "And singing and dancing!" After they said the same thing, they laughed together as they recalled the memories. Soon their laughter dulled down and both sighed as they finished laughing. Panchito and Jose looked up to one particular star that was shining brighter than the other stars nearby, and Panchito said to Jose, not even realizing what he was doing, "I really wish we could be the Three Caballeros again. Don't you, amigo?" Jose nodded and agreed, looking towards the same star, "_Sim_, I do too,"

Panchito and Jose soon heard the bells of a clock tower chime from a distance. Judging from the number of chimes, it was clear that the time was midnight. Panchito stood up and he said, "I guess we should go. It's already late," Panchito was about to leave when Jose suddenly grabbed the sleeve of Panchito's bolero jacket. He looked to his friend and saw that he was still staring up at the sky, his beak open in a gape. Jose said in a gasp "Panchito! Look!"

He looked up to where Jose was looking and he saw what had Jose's attention. From the star that they were looking at earlier, a small gold light came from the star, flew down to the pair, and circled around them. Panchito asked in awe, "What…? What is this?". The light was beautiful, but it was so small, like a firefly. The light soon moved away from them, and it suddenly dropped to the ground. But it didn't go out, instead the light seemed to expand to the size of a gateway and suddenly change colors from gold, to wide variety of many different colors. The inside of the gateway looked like it was a furious tornado of paint.

Panchito and Jose looked to each other and Jose asked, "Is this…some kind of gateway?". Panchito had his Berretta M6's out in caution, and he said "Why is this here?" Jose thought about with a hand on his chin, under his beak, and he said pensively, "This thing came from the star…" Panchito's eyes widened as he finally realized what he and Jose did: They both wished on a star, and now it was granting their wish! He said to Jose "Our wish!". He stowed his guns back into his belt, and then laughed slapping his knees, "Aye Caramba! Our wish!" Jose realized what they did as well, and he breathed "Oh, that's right! So if we go through this gateway…", Panchito finished happily, with his voice louder than it had been all day today "We get our wish! We get to be the Three Caballeros again!"

Jose looked to the gateway and he said hesitantly "I don't know…" Panchito looked to Jose with a reassuring smile and he said to him "Oh come on, amigo! What's the worst that can happen? Let's give this a try! Besides it's not like we won't be able to defend ourselves if something does go wrong," The green parrot sighed and said "All right, if you say so,".

Panchito and Jose moved closer to the gateway and Panchito started "On _tres_, _amigo_!"

"_Um!_"

"_Dos!_"

They then both shouted as they jumped into the strange gateway.

"_TRES!_"

After they jumped in, their screams and laughter through the gateway could be heard, before the gateway closed on itself.

*~*~*Earth, Jay's Apartment*~*~*

The mirror once again shimmered like water and shined light from within, but this time, it didn't stop. This time seemingly crazed laughter and screams echoed from within, until two bodies were spat out of the mirror. Panchito was spat out of the mirror first, and soon Jose landed on top of him. Panchito laughed "AH HA HA HAA! That was fun! We should do that again!" Jose merely groaned, "Ugghh…meu amigo, I think I'm going to be sick…"

Their trip through the gateway was like being on a dizzying and disorienting roller coaster, to put it mildly. Panchito looked at his surroundings from under Jose and he asked "Say, amigo, where are we anyways?" Jose answered as he looked around as well "I don't know. It looks like we're in somebody's home. But…everything looks different," They didn't know how to describe this difference except that everything seemed…bulgy? Yes, bulgy seemed to be the right word. Dull seems to work as well! Whoever lived here, forgot to turn off the overhead light before they left. They could both see out of the window that it was dark, so it must be night.

Jose and Panchito both stood up from the ground, and looked around, both noticing that everything seemed shorter than them. Panchito looked at his hands, and he noticed something else peculiar. He now had five fingers. Five! How did he get another finger? He knew that he was supposed to have four fingers on each hand, or wing. His attention turned towards the mirror, as did Jose just as the gateway closed. When they saw their own reflections, they shouted in shock,

"_AYE CARAMBA!_"

"_O QUE NO MUNDO!_"

Staring back at them from the mirror wasn't a red rooster and green parrot. No, staring back at them were two handsome young human men, who appear to be around 19 or 20 years old, with the same expression of shock, and the same attire that the both of them were wearing. Panchito was still wearing his red pants, dark maroon shirt and bandana, his red short bolero jacket, his belt with his Berretta M6's, and his sombrero. Now, he had bushy red hair, with his bangs being the bushiest, and the gray feathers on his arms were now simply long gloves, the ends hidden in the sleeves of the bolero jacket. He was also wearing cowboy boots much to his surprise.

Jose was also wearing his normal attire: his cream colored suit, gloves, black bow tie, and his boater hat. But now he had green slacks on, the same shade as his wavy green hair that went down to mid-neck, and classy tan shoes. Jose was somewhat relieved to see that he still had his cigar and black umbrella.

Both Caballeros pinched themselves and each other, to make sure that they weren't dreaming this. After they were done confirming that they were awake and that they really weren't birds anymore, Jose asked out loud to no one in particular "Why…Why are we human?" A woman's voice answered, echoing off of the walls

"_Because, if I had you two keep your original forms, you would've just become normal animals, and lose your sense of self. Never to return to your home world,_"

Jose and Panchito jumped and tured to see a silver orb of light, much like the gold one they saw earlier and Panchito asked while putting up his fists like he was ready for a fight, "Who, or what, are you?" The light seemed to giggle before answering,  
"_I'm the star that you two wished upon. Well, what you're talking to right now, is just a fragment for communication,_"

Panchito blinked and said smiling "Oh, really? Son of a gun! It's good to meet you!" Jose asked as Panchito lowered his fists, "Wait…you said 'home world' earlier. What did you mean by that?" The silver light bobbed as the woman's voice answered,

"_What I mean is that you are not in your world anymore. You're both in a different world now,_"

Panchito and Jose looked at each other and Panchito asked "Why are we here in a different world?! You know what we wished for don't you?" The star answered them

"_Of course. But you are here because another party in this world, made a wish at the same time you both did, and well, this is the best way to grant both wishes at once!_"

Before either Caballero could ask, the star continued

"_Please be patient with Jay. She may seem harsh at first, but once you get to know to each other very well, she'll be a good and loyal friend. And she will help you adapt to this world,_"

Panchito asked confusedly, mispronouncing the name, "Hay?" Jose asked, also mispronouncing the name, "Wait, who's Yai?" The star didn't answer, instead it answered as it floated upwards,

"_I must go. Good luck to you,_"

Panchito and Jose both called "Wait!" as the star fragment disappeared. They then turned towards the door as they heard it unlock and they watched as a girl walked into the apartment, her sandy blonde eyebrows rising above the black-rimmed glasses.

*~*~*Jay's POV, Starting a little earlier*~*~*

Jay sighed as she left yet another store. Today was just plain out miserable for Jay today. As expected, the professors at the community college were boring when they were giving their lectures, and some of them were also pretty mean and pretentious while they answered students' questions. She also hated that she couldn't bring up the nerve to go and talk to anyone, even though nobody seemed to want to talk to her to begin with. To her, that was to be expected. But school wasn't the worst part. No, it was the part time job that she had since high school. Today was her last day at that job, all because of her boss!

*~*~*Flashback*~*~*

_"Sir! I'm trying to work here. I'd appreciate it if you would stop harassing me!" Jay said to him irritably, desperately trying to not lose her temper and stay civil, as she turned to face him and looked at her boss angrily after he had patted her lower back. He didn't listen and he said in a sickly sweet voice, "Now, that's no way to speak to your boss, Jay-Jay. You work here, and so you have to do what I want, otherwise, I will fire you, and make sure you can't get another job in this town," He then pinned her to the empty bookshelf, and he started to lean in and invade her personal space. However, what he didn't expect was that Jay kneed him in the area where the lights didn't shine. He shouted in pain, and covered his tender area, leaving himself vulnerable to Jay's right hook to the face. The blow sent him into the bookshelf opposite to the one she had been pinned to earlier. _

_ She screamed at him angrily, letting all of the other workers of the bookstore hear her, "JUST BECAUSE I WORK HERE, DOESN'T MEAN I'M YOUR TOY AND YOU COULD DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO ME! DON'T BOTHER FIRING ME, BECAUSE I QUIT!" She then gathered her things and stormed out of the store, while the ex-boss tried to recover from the blows he received. People stared at Jay as she left the store and drove away._

*~*~*End Flashback*~*~*

That had happened in the afternoon. After she had stormed out of the bookstore she previously worked at, she went to go find another job. She went from store to store, only for them to say that they'll think about hiring her. To Jay, those answers were clear indicators that she didn't get a job. She looked for hours, and here she was, getting denied once again and heading to her car. As she walked there, she grumbled to herself, "I can't believe this. This really sucks…I don't know how things can get any worse!"

After she hopped into her car, she stuck her key into the ignition, and she looked up to notice a star shining brightly in the night with the full moon. The star was the only she could see because of the town's light pollution. She sighed through her nose as she felt hurt well in her heart again and she mumbled to herself, never noticing that as she spoke, the hands of her wristwatch slowly ticked towards midnight, "I wish I had real friends. Friends who won't use me and stab me in the back…"

She then shook her head as she started the car and she said to herself once again, this time scoffing at herself, "What am I doing? Wishing upon a star? I must be really stupid. I should've learned by now," After turning the car key a couple of times, the car finally came to life and she drove back to her apartment. After a quiet few minutes of nothing but the music on the radio, she finally reached her apartment, and she headed upstairs and unlocked the door. She entered the small apartment and saw that the room was not unoccupied anymore. There were two strange men wearing goofy clothes. Her eyebrows rose to her hairline when she noticed that the man wearing Mexican attire had two guns on his person. Things seemed to have just gotten worse.

The two men stared at her as Jay groaned to herself, as she raised her hands into the air in order to make sure that one of them didn't decide to shoot her, "Oh for Pete's sake!" The men blinked at her groan and the man with green hair asked hesitantly "Senhorita?" Jay said to them, keeping her hands in the air, "Take whatever you want. Just don't shoot!"

Panchito' and Jose's mouths formed o's in realization as to what this girl in front of them was talking about. Panchito shook his hands, as he said quickly, "No no no! Senorita, we're not here to rob you or hurt you!"

Jay raised a skeptical eyebrow and she asked with a suspicious tone, as she discreetly looked for what may be missing, and for any sign that the two men in front of her were lying, "Then what the hell are you two doing in my apartment?!" She did notice that the two men's voices sounded very familiar, but she didn't point it out yet.

Jose chuckled with a hesitant smile "We sort of accidentally landed here. Honestly, we didn't think we would land in your home, Senhorita. Our apologies,". Panchito then said with a cheerfully loud voice, which made the girl in front of them jump from the sudden volume, "Aha! Before we forget, we should introduce ourselves! I am Panchito Romero Miguel Junipero Francisco Quintero González III!" Jose then said as he walked up to the girl and kissed her hand "And I'm Jose Carioca. It is a pleasure to meet you, Senhorita…" He stopped when he saw that her face had morphed to show even more skepticism.

Jay showed more skepticism when they said their names. She knew those names; those were the names of the famous old cartoon characters Disney came up with! She scoffed and snarked after being silent for a few minutes "Yeah, and I'm Daisy Duck," The men in front of her laughed, "That's quite funny! You're not Daisy-". They then realized that she was being sarcastic and Panchito said, "Senorita, we're telling the truth!" Jay responded sarcastically and skeptically, "Really. You're telling me that you two really are a cartoon parrot and rooster? I seriously doubt that,"

Panchito and Jose were about to say something, but they fell silent. How did she know about how they used to be a parrot and rooster? More importantly, how do they prove that they were telling the truth? Panchito and Jose turned to face each other and they whispered to each other

"What do we do? We gave her our real names!"

"I don't know! Maybe come up with different names?"

"No way! I'm proud of my name!"

"Your name's really long, Panchito,"

"Exactly!"

As the two men bantered with each other, Jay listened to their voices. She had to admit, they sounded exactly like the characters they were claiming to be. But there was something else that caught her attention while the men were faced sideways from her. Her eyes widened as she spotted the fact that the two men, had tail feathers. She shook her head and silently thought to herself,

"_They're obviously fake! But…I think I need to test that claim…just in case,_"

She snuck up behind Jose and yanked his blue and red feathers, making yelp and jump into the air in pain. Jose asked "Senhorita! That hurt! What was that for?" Jay swallowed a lump in her throat as the two men looked at her paling face with confusion, "Y-You felt that? Yo-Your tail feathers are re-real?!" Jose and Panchito blinked and they asked at the same time "Tail feathers?!" They looked at themselves and saw that they still had their own tail feathers. However, they didn't last long. Soon the tail feathers disappeared right before the three's very eyes. They looked at each other in silence, and Panchito asked hesitantly, "So, uh…does that count as proof, senorita?"

Jay didn't answer, she was wide eyed and her mind was reeling, trying to come up with an explanation for what just happened and who those people were. But she couldn't and instead, she ended up doing something she never did before in her entire life: she fainted. The last word she heard the two voices shout echoed in her head as she fell,

"Senorita!"

"Senhorita!"


	2. Welcome to Reality

**((Author's Notes: Hello again! Before we start, I want to thank Benny the Crazed Cartoonist and ninjasdrinkingtea for their reviews. You have no idea how much your reviews brightened my day.**

**Once again, I do not own any of Disney's characters. I do not own the songs "The Three Caballeros" by Disney and "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence.**

**I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and Happy Belated Valentine's Day (or Single Awareness Day).))**

Chapter Two

*~*~* Jay's Apartment*~*~*

Jay had been sleeping peacefully, despite the light shining through the window and onto her face. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake up until the time when her alarm clock was supposed to sound off. However, the alarm clock seemed to be off, and instead, a loud, proud, happy, and melodious singing voice startled her out of her slumber,

"_Ahhhh!_

_ Jalisco no te rajes!_"

Jay gasped and yelped as she fell out of her bed, landing on her back when she made contact with the floor. During the brief moments when her eyes were winced closed from the pain, and her hand was rubbing her back after she sat back up, she suddenly recalled what had happened last night.

"_Me sale del alma,_

_ Gritar con color,_"

That's right…the two strange men that she found in her own apartment! She opened her eyes to see that she was still wearing the same clothes she had on last night, and she looked up to see that Jose was in the small kitchen area, standing by the toaster but watching Panchito sing, his back towards Jay, and the toaster. She noticed, much to her surprise, that he had his red and blue tail feathers again.

"_Abrir todo el pecho,_

_ Pe echar este grito,_"

She then looked to see Panchito, the one person who was singing loudly, in the living room area standing in front of the large oval mirror, his back towards Jay as well. He must've moved the mirror away from the dresser while she must've been sleeping, Jay thought. She noticed that he too regained his read tail feathers. She didn't say anything as Panchito finished his song with a powerful belt and held it for a long time.

"_Que linddo es jalisco_

_Palabra de honoooooooooor!"_

After he finished, Jose clapped in applause and he praised Panchito "Bravo! Your voice hasn't changed a bit!" Panchito grinned as he turned to face Jose and bow like he was bowing to an audience.

Jay on the other hand crossed her arms and cleared her throat sternly to get Panchito's and Jose's attention. They looked to her and they smiled at her, unfazed by her stern glare.

Panchito spoke first with cheer before asking, "Ah! Senorita! You're finally awake! How are you feeling?"

"I just woke up to somebody singing and to find that what happened last night wasn't some weird dream. What do you think?" Jay grumbled with sarcasm. Before they could even start guessing, or even say something about her rude comment, Jay sighed trying to keep herself calm, "I have a lot of questions that need to be answered. In case you couldn't tell from last night, it's pretty hard to just accept that you were cartoon characters,"

Jose answered, "Ah. Of course we'll answer your questions! But first, here," He handed her a plate with two pieces of toast, and he said with a kind smile when she gave him a questioning and suspicious look, "I took the liberty to make breakfast for all three of us. It's to make up for the scare we gave you last night. I hope you don't mind," Jose normally would've made something fancier for this kind of situation, but there wasn't anything in Jay's refrigerator that he could use to make a nice breakfast.

Jay didn't like the idea of a stranger having to make breakfast for her. But she didn't say anything of that sort, and she mumbled awkwardly as she took the plate "Thank you,"

There had been an awkward silence between the Jay, Panchito, and Jose at first, as the three of them sat at the small coffee table in the small living room area, and took small bites of their toast. The air around them just seemed to be thick with a sort of tension that none of them could place. Jay awkwardly broke the silence first asking "So…Panchito and Jose, right?" The two nodded, and she continued "You never really did answer my first question from last night: What are you two doing here?" She looked at Jose and said "And what did you mean by 'we accidentally landed here'?"

Jose answered simply and honestly "I meant what I said. We just happened to land here. We didn't mean to scare you,"

Jay muttered in response to his last comment "I wasn't scared. I just…freaked. There's a huge difference,"

Panchito and Jose chuckled to themselves, knowing that Jay was covering the fact that she was scared. When the both of them were done snickering at Jay, Panchito continued the discussion,

"As for your question as to what we're doing here, well, a star sent us here in order to grant both ours, and someone named Jay's, wishes!" Panchito told her cheerfully, once again becoming elated at the thought of being the Three Caballeros once again.

Panchito and Jose told Jay about their wish, how a portal appeared before them, and what the star told the both of them. After they were done, Jay was giving a blank and deadpan stare that just screamed the silent words

"_ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME?!"_

After a few seconds of Jay staring at the two Caballeros in this manner, she rested her elbows on the coffee table, avoiding the plate of toast, and she covered her face with her hands in a face-palm manner. She groaned to herself, "I wished on a star for _real_ friends, and I've got cartoon characters as an answer…" To Jay, this situation was so ironic it was almost painful just thinking about it.

When Panchito heard her statement, he asked "Wait…does that mean you're Jay?"

Jay lowered her hands from her face and answered, "Unfortunately, yes…" She ignored Panchito and Jose when they looked at each other happily.

She then asked Jose and Panchito, "So you two just jumped into the portal…right away? Without even checking to see if it was safe or it wouldn't lead you two to some Eldritch Abomination?"

Both answered confidently at the same time "Nope!" Even though Panchito and Jose both had no idea what an Eldritch Abomination was.

Jay resisted the urge to groan and face-palm once again at their answer. She then realized something important, and she asked them "This star…it didn't by any chance, book a hotel room for you both did it?"

Jose and Panchito looked at each other and they shook their heads in response and said "No,"

Jay then asked, "So you both have nowhere to stay at all?"

Both shook their heads again, and Jay scrunched her eyes closed in frustration. Now the irony was completely painful. Apparently since the two had nowhere to stay, they would have to live with her. But she just lost her job yesterday!

Jose suddenly asked Jay, snapping her out of her brooding thoughts, "So, Jay. We have a question. How did you know who Panchito and I were? Why did you call us cartoon characters?"

Jay blinked and she asked the two of them "You mean you two don't know?" The two were silent as she stood up and went over to her desk where she would work on her homework, and she grabbed her laptop, as she walked over to the two, she opened up the internet, went to YouTube, and found the whole movie on the site. She sat the laptop in front of the two men and she said to them "Panchito Pisotles and Jose Carioca are characters made by Disney, most famous for the movie 'The Three Caballeros',"

As the introduction music played, Jay distanced herself from the duo as they became engrossed with the movie. She kept her distance as she watched the men's reactions to the movie, trying to find any behavioral evidence that may help her see if they were faking everything or not. While she observed the duo, she worked on her homework that she got from her classes yesterday. The both of them seemed to be surprised at first, but then they had smiles on their face and looked like they were seeing their own memories being replayed right before their eyes, literally. She noticed that their tail feathers were even moving in reaction to how they seemed to be feeling! They either perked up when the two men laughed, or ruffled when they were wincing in sympathy when something painful happened, or Jose's case, became irked or annoyed at the Aracuan Bird.

When she grew tired of observing the two men and working on homework, she took some spare clean clothes and headed into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind her.

Panchito and Jose were now watching the part where Donald was trying to hit the piñata. They both laughed and Panchito commented

"_Aye Caramba_! That never gets old!"

Jose chuckled "He was a very funny fellow!"

They both sighed after they laughed, and the memories of how dismissive Donald seemed when they last saw him started to creep back into Jose's and Panchito's minds.

Panchito abruptly stood up and asked, "Say…where did Jay go?" He looked around until he noticed the closed door and he went up to the door. He listened carefully and he could hear water pouring down along with Jay's voice. It was faint and hard to tell, but he could hear that she was a good singer…and she was in pain. From what he could tell, it seemed that the song she was singing was coming to an end,

"….

_Never was and never will be,_

_You're not real and you can't save me,_

_Somehow now, you're everybody's fool,_"

Panchito found the brief singing to be somewhat hauntingly beautiful. He wondered how she would sound if she sang a happier tune, or if she sang their song with them.

Jose looked at Panchito and he asked somewhat suspiciously "Meu amigo, you're not planning on going in there are you?"

Panchito answered indignantly as he walked back over to Jose, "Of course not! What do you take me for? I'm not a wolf like Donal' was,"

Jose chuckled and commented rolling his eyes, "Suuurrre you aren't,"

Soon the sound of water stopped, and door soon opened, and Jay walked out wearing a different pair of jeans, black in color, and a navy blue shirt. Her hair was now damp and once again tied in a ponytail. She asked the two of them "What are you two up to?"

Panchito looked at Jay when she asked as did Jose, and he just smiled answering her "Oh, just finishing the movie you showed us. It's great to see what happened on Donald's birthday from a different point of view,"

Jay raised an eyebrow at Panchito's answer. She could tell that he wasn't exactly being honest. She shrugged and said, "Well if you're both done, we should get going,"

Jose asked "Going? Go where?"

Jay sighed and she asked, "You two have nowhere else to go right?" After they nodded, she continued questioning this time with some chagrin, "And I assume you want to be able to sleep here at most while you're…in this world, is that right?" Another nod. Jay then concluded, "Then we need to get you new clothes, and maybe a small futon. You're both lucky that I don't have to go to any college classes today,"

Panchito asked somewhat offended "Why?! What's wrong with the clothes we're wearing now?"

Jose asked confusedly "Is our style the problem?"

Jay gave them a blank look and she answered them "Nothing's wrong with the style, despite that you two look either too ridiculous or too fancy," Panchito and Jose glared lightly at the comment, but Jay ignored it as she asked, "But when was the last time you both had a change in attire?"

Panchito asked confusedly, "Why does that matter?"

Jay sighed and said "Jose, take a whiff of Panchito for me, would you?"

Jose blinked at the seemingly strange request and he said "Huh? Um, _sim_, ok," He went up to Panchito and sniffed once, before his eyes widened and he backed away covering his nose, gagging "Uuuggghhh! _Meu Deus! _What was that?!"

Jay crossed her arms and answered with a very tiny mischievous smirk "The problem, and it can be named with only two letters: B. O.," Jay wasn't too surprised. If anyone wore the same attire for seventy or seventy two years, of course they were going to stink!

Panchito and Jose looked at each other in slight confusion, but looked back to Jay when she said, "Before we leave though, we need to do something about your tail feathers,"

Panchito asked "What's wrong with our tail feathers?"

Jay answered, "The problem is that you two are the only humans in this world who has fully functioning tail feathers!" She then asked, "What's the deal with them anyways? I saw them disappear last night,"

Jose shrugged and answered, "We don't know! They just came back when we calmed down from our own little shock last night, with you fainting and all,"

Jay mumbled "Hmmm…" ignoring the answer, and was trying to think of a solution. She then realized something and she mumbled "Ah! Got it,"

Panchito asked "Huh? You got what, Senorita?"

"An idea on how to hide your tail feathers," Jay answered.

Jose and Panchito looked at her expectantly and she started "Just take off your jackets first…"

*~*~*A few minutes later, The Mall, Clothes Store*~*~*

Panchito whined as he hopped out of the car with Jose and Jay and walked with them across the parking lot, "Jaaaaayyyy! It feels weird wearing my jacket like this! Can't I put it back on as how I normally wear it?"

Jay answered with slight irritation "For the eighth time, no! Besides, it's too late to change methods now! And Jose! Put out that cigar, they won't allow smoking inside the mall," Jose reluctantly complied with Jay's command to put out the cigar.

Jose and Panchito were both wearing their bolero/suit jackets around their hips, the arms of their jackets tied simply at the front, while the backs covered the tail feathers, leaving the two men to show the short sleeved shirts they wore underneath the jackets. Apparently the material of the coats were heavy enough so that the tail feathers wouldn't be able to lift the jackets if they moved to Jose's and Panchito's emotions. It wasn't a perfect solution, because their tail feathers were long enough to be seen despite the coats, but it was good enough for now, because people will now be more likely to assume the feathers are just mere accessories.

Jay led the group inside silently berating herself for being too nice for her own good. As they walked through the mall though, when the three of them passed women, Jose sent winks, and Panchito just looked at them with a smile as they walked past, sending the girls into giggling whispers, making Jay roll her eyes in response. Sometimes the two men even tipped their hats to any girl they passed.

Jay was about to tell Panchito and Jose to look around the mens' section for what they would like, but when she looked back, she saw that the two men were busy talking to some girls who approached them, all of the girls looked much prettier than the mousy Jay, in Jay's opinion. They all bombarded Panchito and Jose with questions, and in turn, Jose and Panchito answered and flirted with the girls, who were talking to them,

"Hi, I'm Tina, what's your name, handsome?"

"Jose! You look so handsome! Where'd you get your suit and accessories?"

"Oh, Panchito! What is that cologne you and Jose are wearing? It smells quite nice!"

Jose answered the last question for the both of them "Oh, we're wearing a cologne called _Brisa De Verão. _It's only found in _Brasil_,"

Jay rolled her eyes and shook her head, and she muttered to herself as the two continued to flirt and ask the girls for advice on what kind of clothes they should get, "They're no birds… They're _hams_…" She was getting a little irked and nauseated at how they just flirt so casually, and was starting to think that she should've left the two at the apartment. She left Panchito and Jose to their flirting, no matter how much it irked her, because she knew that she would only be ignored. She had considered telling the girls that Jose's and Panchito's 'cologne' was really B.O. as a bit of a prank, but decided against it, knowing that it wasn't worth it in the end. While the two spoke with the girls, Jay walked off to check and see if there were any job openings for her.

Panchito and Jose had finished their shopping a lot earlier then they had expected with the help of the girls that they were flirting with.

Jose kissed Tina's hand and he said to her, "_Muito brigado, senhorita_. You were a big help to Panchito and I,"

Tina smiled sweetly and said, "It's no trouble at all! Here's my number. Call me!" Jose tipped his hat to her in reply as she walked off giggling happily to herself.

After the girls left, Jose and Panchito headed off to find a cashier. Panchito asked Jose "Are you sure Jay's at a cashier counter?"

Jose shrugged and said, "I'm not sure. But it's a good place to wait for her if we have to,"

They soon reached their destination, and found that Jay was there, but they hung back and listened to the conversation between Jay and the Assistant Manager of the store.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Windsor. As much as I would love to have you hired, I'm afraid there are no job openings here,"

"I see…"

"I really am sorry. It was quite admirable that you stood up to that creep though! I would've done the same in your situation,"

"…."

"Though, there is a job opening at the Mexican restaurant not too far from here! The restaurant's called 'El Comensal',"

Jay perked up with hope and she asked "Really?!"

The Assistant Manager continued "Yeah! They're looking for some singers, maybe you will be able to-"

Jay interrupted her, her hope immediately disappearing, "Nope, I can't sing,"

"Oh, that's too bad," The Assistant Manager stated almost pitying Jay. She then wished Jay "Well, good luck,"

Jay nodded and said "Thanks,"

Jose and Panchito looked at each other, concerned for Jay. She was looking for a job, and they were inconveniencing her with their troubles! They couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. But Jose noticed that Panchito started to smile. At that moment, Jose realized that Panchito had an idea. He just hoped that it was a good one and one that won't land the both of them in trouble.

The both of them stepped forwards and Panchito said Jay "There you are Jay!"

Jay and the Assistant Manager looked to Panchito and Jose as they walked up to the counter, and Jay said in slight surprise, "You're done already? That was fast,"  
Jose chuckled "Well, we did have a little help along the way,"

Jay muttered remembering the girls that they had flirted with, "Oh, right. Of course,"

The Assistant Manager said to them, pointing to a cashier "She'll help you with the purchase," Jay nodded thanks to her and headed to the cashier.

Before the Assistant Manager could leave, Panchito said to her "Excuse me, _Senorita. _But, we couldn't help but overhear the discussion you had with Jay, and we were wondering, where could we find that restaurant?" The Assistant Manager raised an eyebrow at the two of them and she gave them the directions before leaving.

Jose looked to Panchito and he whispered "_Panchito, what are you planning?_"

Panchito smiled back and whispered "_Mi Amigo. I heard Jay sing earlier today, while she was in the bathroom. She's got a wonderful singing voice! I can tell! It's there, just waiting to be heard! Besides, I would feel guilty if we didn't help our new friend and Caballera in return, wouldn't you?_"

Jose nodded in agreement, understanding what Panchito was planning now. But he didn't say anything because Jay came back to them and handed them plastic bags filled with the clothes they bought.

She commented miserably, "Here. Let's get out of here," After she handed Jose and Panchito the clothes, she started grumbling under her breath about how expensive things seemed to be.

Panchito smiled a bit and he asked Jay when he and Jose caught up to her and walked with her, "Jay! Can we go eat at 'El Comensal' tonight?"

Jay shot a slight glare at him and she slightly snapped at him, "I'm not made of money, Panchito. Paying for a probably expensive dinner's going to put me in trouble in the future. I know I already paid a lot for your clothes!"

Jose took over and he told her, "We don't have to eat dinner there. But we would like to try out for that singing position we heard about from the lovely ladies we met earlier," Before Jay could say anything else, Jose added holding his boater hat hesitantly "Besides, I sort of ended up finishing off the bread you had in order to make the toast,"

Jay groaned at his addition. Without the bread, Jay now had nothing on hand except canned tomato soup, and she was so sick of canned tomato soup. She then sighed "Fine…"

Panchito and Jose cheered loudly ignoring Jay's annoyed look.

*~*~*A couple of hours later, El Comensal*~*~*

Jay pulled the car up to the small Mexican restaurant, and stepped out, as did Jose and Panchito. The two men had changed into new clothes, but the new clothes looked a lot like the old ones they were wearing in the mall. The only exception was Panchito's maroon shirt, which now had black designs on it that somewhat looked reminiscent to cacti. Jay had made sure that, for appearances, the tail feathers appeared to be hanging down from the belts they wore. Jose and Panchito had whined and complained like little children about the jacket solution and were adamant about not wearing their jackets around their waists anymore.

They had gone in, Jay paid for their dinner, and when they were done, they got to talk to the owner of the small restaurant. The owner was a kind old man named Leo Hernandez, whose appearance betrayed his age, but had a constantly kind smile on his face. One of the waitresses named Shana, led the three to him as he sat in his small office away from the dining areas, and she said to him, "_Padre_, these guys are here for the job,"

Mr. Hernandez smiled at Shana and responded in a strong but gentle voice, "Thank you, Shana," He then turned his attention to the three and asked, "So, you three wish to sing here?"

Before Jay could answer with a no and say that it was just Jose and Panchito who wanted to sing, Jose and Panchito answered immediately,

"_Si!"_

"_Sim!"_

Mr. Hernandez chuckled at their enthusiasm, and he asked, "Can I ask what your merry little band's name is?"

Panchito laughed happily "Of course! We are…"

Then both him and Jose called out cheerfully, while standing next to Jay, making her the middle, wrapping their arms around her shoulders, and holding out their free hands to show three fingers, "The Three Caballeros!"

Jay was blushing out of embarrassment, and was tense, from the two men's actions.  
Mr. Hernandez on the other hand chuckled jovially and commented "Oh, just like the old cartoon, huh? My grandchildren love that movie,"

Jay could agree reluctantly "Yeah…just like the old cartoon…"

Mr. Hernandez asked, "You three look like you could be the ones. Tell me, would you be willing to sing for us now?"

Jay asked in surprise that the man in front of them was so open to them performing, "No-NOW?"

Mr. Hernandez nodded and reaffirmed, "Now. I'll let you know if you three get the jobs after singing one song. So, what do you say?"

Panchito once again answered for all three of them "We'd be happy to perform now! And we have just the song!"

Mr. Hernandez smiled warmly, ignoring the fact that Jay was paling and he told them "Excellent," He stood up and said to the three of them "I'll go and have Robert and Shana go and set up the stage for you three. Please wait here for a bit,"

Once Mr. Hernandez had left, Jay asked the two in an irritated way, "Are you two loco?! I can't sing! And I highly doubt that you two are prepared for this!"

Panchito smiled at her and raised his hands in a mock surrender pose to calm her down, "Now, now, Jay. Don't be bashful! Anyone can sing! We know you can do this,"

Jay shook her head and said, "No, I can't. This whole endeavor will only turn out to be one huge embarrassment. You have me sing with you, and the whole restaurant will be laughing at you!"

Jose then cunningly stated "Well. How about this? If we get even a single heckle from the crowd from this one performance, then Panchito and I won't stay at your apartment and we won't bother you anymore. If we get the jobs instead, then we stay with you. How does that sound, Jay?"

Panchito knew Jose was clever, but to make a deal like this? Now even Panchito was a bit nervous.

Jay raised her eyebrows, interested and she asked, "You sure you want to make that kind of agreement Jose? 'Cause I will make sure you uphold your end if you lose,"

Jose confidently answered, "_Sim,_ I'm sure,"

Jay answered in a sort of foreboding tone, "Alright then. Then I accept those terms,"

Panchito whispered to Jose "_Amigo, are you sure about this?_"

Jose whispered back in response "_Are you sure that she can sing?_" Both nodded yes in response.

After the agreement was made, Panchito, Jose, and Jay discussed the plans of what they were going to sing and how they were going to sing it. Jay didn't like the plan for the last part of the song, but she couldn't protest against it, because Mr. Hernandez came back into the office, and said, "The stage is ready for you, Caballeros!"

Panchito smiled at his friends and said to Jose and Jay with newfound excitement as he placed sombreros on their heads, "It's show time!"

Mr. Hernandez led them out to part of the dining area where a small stage stood, and he went up to the stage and spoke to the customers, and after a brief introduction he called "_And now, for our guest singers and hopeful contenders tonight. Please welcome the Three Caballeros!_"

The crowd clapped as Mr. Hernandez left the stage. After he was off, Panchito romped onto the stage shouting "YAAAAAA-O!" and he then spoke into the microphone, "Ahola amigos! I am Panchito!"

Then Jose danced his way onto the stage and up to microphone in a samba and he spoke into it suavely winking at a nearby girl and making her swoon, "I am Jose!"

Then Jay stepped onto the stage and she spoke into the microphone "And I am Jay,"

The three of them said in unison with cheer, even if Jay was faking her cheer, "And we are the Three Caballeros!"

They then began singing together, dancing a bit as well

"_We're three caballeros,_

_Three gay caballeros,_

_They say we are birds of a feather, _

_We're happy amigos,_

_No matter where he goes,_

_The one, two, and three goes,_

_We're always together,_

_We're three happy chappies,_

_With snappy serapes,_

_You'll find us beneath our sombreros,_

_We're brave and we'll stay so,_

_We're bright as a peso,"_

As Panchito sang the last two lines, Jose did a small parlor magic trick and pulled a quarter from behind Jay's ear, making her glare a bit at the two in slight annoyance, and she sang the next line alone before the other two continued with her,

_"Who says so? We say so!_

_The three caballeros,_

_Ahhhh!_

_We have the stars to guide us,_

_Guitars here beside us,_

_To play as we go,_

_We sing and we samba,_

_We shout 'aye caramba!"_

Jose asked Panchito once again, before Panchito answered him alone,

_"What means aya caramba? _

_Oh yes, I don't know,"_

The trio continued singing together,

_"Ahhhh!_

_Through fair or stormy weather,_

_We stand close together,_

_Like books on the shelf,"_

Here, Panchito took turns with Jose, singing every other line, letting Jay prepare herself mentally for what was to come,

_"And pals though we may be,_

_When some latin baby,_

_Says yes, no, or maybe,_

_Each man is for himself!"_

Jose and Panchito pretended to be pulling each other back from chasing after a girl, until Jay stepped up from behind the two of them and blocked them with her arms, making a comical picture of the responsible member watching over the two Caballeros. Then, came her turn to sing solo. She recalled the lyrics that Panchito sang this morning, and she sang,

_"Ahhhh!_

_Jalisco no te rajes_

_Me sale del alma_

_Gritar con color_

_Abrir todo el pecho_

_Pa echar este grito_

_Que linddo es jalisco_

_Palabra de honor,"_

Jay didn't hold the note out as long as Panchito would've but it was long enough, and after she finished the note, she winced her eyes closed as she bowed with a flourish like the other two Caballeros did, expecting to hear heckling and cruel laughter.

But it never came. Instead the crowd suddenly started applauding raucously. Jay looked up, shocked that there even was applause at all. She strained her ears, trying to hear even a whisper of heckling. But there was no such cruelty that could be detected. Her mouth was open in a slight gape.

Panchito and Jose smiled happily at each other. It was just as they had expected: everyone loved their performance! They walked off stage thanking the audience, and Panchito laughing, Jose smiling proudly, and Jay dumbfounded.

Mr. Hernandez said to the three warmly once they were off stage, "That was a spectacular performance! I thoroughly enjoyed it!"

Jose said to him in response "We were happy to perform! We should be thanking you for allowing us to do so!"

Mr. Hernandez then asked, "How would you three like to work here as permanent members of this small little family?"

Jay's jaw dropped a little further down at the job offer. She asked "R-Really? You're not pulling our legs are you?"

Panchito answered for the group once again, "Of course we'll take the jobs!"

Jay was about to protest but Mr. Hernandez already spoke, "Wonderful! Your first day of performing starts tomorrow! I hope you have a lot of songs ready for tomorrow! Oh, and Welcome to the family! Now go home and get some rest, you youngsters,"

Panchito smiled and said cheerfully, "Oh, we will! _Hasta Manana, Senor Hernandez!_" He then proceeded to pull Jose and Jay out of the restaurant leaving Mr. Hernandez to chuckle to himself, as he stood alone,

"Some things never change, do they?"

As the trio walked to the old run down car, she muttered in disbelief as she walked beside Jose and Panchito, "I can't believe it…that just happened…"

Jose chortled, "You're still in shock?"

Jay nodded and said, slowly snapping out of her shocked stupor "Yeah…I was expecting heckling after all,"

Jose shook his head and said "But it didn't happen, now did it? In fact, you had fun, right? Tell me the truth,"

Jay was silent, reluctant to admit that Jose was right. She did feel a little happy that she actually sang and people liked it. But she was never going to admit it to those three.

Panchito then said cheerfully "AHHHHAHAHA! And more importantly, we're friends now! We're the Three Caballeros!"

Jay stopped, and the two stopped as well in concern. She sighed and she looked to the both of them coldly and she said to them "Let's get one thing straight. We're. Not. Friends,"

Jose and Panchito were both caught by surprise by her statement but didn't say anything as she continued,

"Don't get me wrong. I am grateful to you for helping me land a job, even though I suck eggs at singing. But what happened back there alone does not make us best friends forever. It takes more time and other factors than that,"

Panchito and Jose looked a little saddened and disappointed, and Panchito pointed out "But you already know about us!"

Jay rolled her eyes and said "Because of the movie? OK, be honest with me! Did you two feel like you were violated or had an invasion of privacy when you saw that movie?"

Panchito raised an index finger and opened his mouth to talk, but no answer came out. His eyes widened as he realized the answer.

Jose answered for the both of them, "No. No, we didn't,"

Jay said to them "That's because the movie didn't give you two much of a background! It just focused on Donald Freaking Duck. And that means, that I know nothing about you, just as you two know nothing about me. Sorry, but that's how things work. _Welcome to Reality!_" Her last sentences came out as a bitter and cynical hiss

Panchito looked down at the pavement in disappointment. But he looked up when Jay spoke again,

"But I will uphold my end of our agreement and let you two continue to stay at the apartment. However, you two are either sleeping on the couch or on the floor. Understand?"

Jose answered smiling "Perfectly," just as Panchito gave a ghost of a smile.

Jay nodded and said "Alright. Let's go back then. I'm tired,"

As she walked off, leading the two to the run down car, Jose and Panchito stayed behind and they spoke to each other for a little while,

"How could anyone think like that Joe?"

Jose shrugged, "I don't know. But the star did tell us to be patient with her, remember? I guess all good friendships don't come easy, do they?"

Panchito shook his head and said, with his smile broadening a bit, "Guess not. Come on, amigo. Let's go before Jay decides to drive off without us,"

They both ran to the car and hopped in, letting Jay drive them back to the apartment.


End file.
